Rigaku Technology Timeline
Since its inception in 1951, Rigaku has been at the forefront of analytical and industrial instrumentation technology. Here are some of the hundreds of major innovations to Rigaku's credit.
1950s
1951
Rigaku is founded
1952
Rotaflex - world's first commercial rotating anode X-ray generator
1954

Geigerflex - the first automatic recording X-ray diffractometer in Japan
1955
Radioflex industrial X-ray radiographic unit
1957
Thermoflex automatic recording thermal analyzer
1958
World's first high-temperature attachment for an X-ray diffractometer
1960s
1960
Strainflex - world's first parallel-beam-type diffractometer for stress determination
1962
GF-S sequential spectrometer
1963
Geigerflex-DS+ small-angle scattering
1965

AFC automatic four-circle X-ray diffractometer
1966
GF2001 X-ray diffractometer
1968
Simultix, Rigaku's first multichannel simultaneous X-ray spectrometer
1969
Geigerflex SX X-ray fluorescence spectrometer
1970s
1971
A real-time TV topographic X-ray system
1973
Non-dispersive X-ray diffractometer
1976

MiniFlex desktop X-ray diffractometer
1978
RU-1500 - the world's most powerful X-ray generator (90 kW)
1979

D/max series of micro-computer-controlled automatic X-ray diffractometers
1980s
1981
World's first spectrometer capable of boron analysis
1983
D/max-B series of multi-CPU automatic X-ray diffractometers
1984

Strainflex automatic X-ray Stress Analyzer
1985
Weissenberg camera for macromolecular crystallography
1986
Geigerflex RAD-C series X-ray diffractometer
1987

XPS-7000 fully automatic X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy system
1988
3275 Total reflection X-ray spectrometer system
1989

The R-AXIS IIC high-speed automatic X-ray imaging plate system
1990s
1990
Desktop double crystal diffractometer
1991
RIX 3000 fully automated X-ray spectrometer
1992
The D/MAX 2000 X-ray diffractometer and the RIX1000 X-ray spectrometer systems
1993
Simultix 10/11 multichannel simultaneous X-ray spectrometer
1994
GXR2 thin-film reflectrometer
1995

X-stream 2000 self-contained crystal cooling apparatus
1996

XRT-300 topography imaging system for 300 mm wafers
1998

R-AXIS RAPID High-speed X-ray diffractometer
1999
ZSX fluorescence X-ray spectrometer
2000s
2000
FR-D high brilliance generator
2001
TXRF-V300 VPD-embedded total reflection fluorescence analysis device
2003

Cross Beam Optical (CBO) optics
2004

D/teX-25 two-dimensional detector
2005

TTRAX III theta-theta goniometer system
2006

SmartLab fully automated multipurpose X-ray diffractometer
2007
SHINE optic
2008

Supermini benchtop WDXRF spectrometer
2009

XtaLAB mini benchtop single crystal X-ray diffractometer
2010s
2010

NEX CG Cartesian geometry EDXRF
2011

MicroMax-007 DW dual-wavelength rotating anode system
2012

MiniFlex 300/600 benchtop X-ray diffractometer
2013

NEX OL process EDXRF elemental analyzer
2014

CosmoScan GX small-animal 3D micro X-ray CT scanner
2015

ZSX Primus IV scanning X-ray fluorescence analysis device
2016
NANOPIX nanoscale X-ray structural evaluation device
2017

Thermo plus EVO2 DSCvesta differential scanning calorimeter
2018
XtaLAB Synergy-i single crystal X-ray structure analysis system
2019

CT Lab HX 3D X-ray micro CT
2020s
2020
XtaLAB Synergy X-ray diffractometer platform
2021

XtaLAB Synergy-ED submicron electron diffraction system
2022

MiniFlex XpC compact X-ray diffractometer
2023

CQL Narc-ID 1064 nm Raman analyzer
2024

PhotonJetMAX-S microfocus sealed tube source

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